Somehow, though, there aren’t many that are great for exercising. While any old in-ear or Bluetooth headphones can be convenient on the go, most of them aren’t explicitly designed to withstand the rigors of working out. Their warranties usually won’t cover any damages inflicted by those rigors, either.

The best may sound great, but great sound is largely a bonus in the world of workout headphones. Instead, whether you go wired or wireless, open or sealed, you want something sturdy and comfortable. You want something that stays tight in or around the ear whether you’re doing wind sprints or playing pick-up basketball. And you want something that can handle sweat. Lots and lots of sweat. If a pair checks all those boxes, then superior performance can put it over the top.

After scouring the web for reviews and performing our own testing over the past few weeks, we think we’ve found the exercise headphones that are worth buying. We’ve organized them by price, including both budget and higher-end options that come in a variety of form factors. Per usual, we also assigned them a BI Rating.

Since finding a good fit is so crucial to any exercise headphone’s success, we’ll note that every ear is different, and there’s always a chance that what fits for us may not fit for you. Nevertheless, for now, we think the following pairs will help the most people in the best way.

BI Rating: 8/10

Koss Fitclips (Lime), $9.99, available at Amazon.Amazon

If you’re looking to pay as little as possible for a pair of exercise headphones you might actually enjoy, buy the Koss Fitclips. They normally go for $15, but they neither feel nor sound cheap. That sound isn’t amazing in a vacuum — there’s very little meat to it, and practically no bass — but for the money it’s both clear and loud. It’s serviceable for a quick jog or watching some TV on the treadmill.

The bigger thing is that the Fitclips are comfortable. Their light and bendy build hooks around the ear and creates a tight seal that doesn’t come loose when you’re moving around. They’re properly sweat-resistant, too, and they block out a good chunk of outside noise, which helps when you’re trying to get in the zone. They also come in five breezy colors.

You’ll notice that Koss has positioned the Fitclips as a “headphones series for women by women,” but that’s little more than a marketing tactic; they fit just fine on men's ears, too. Still, if you’d rather something more masculine looking, the Yurbuds Inspire 200 get you around the same idea for less than $25.Pros:

BI Rating: 8/10

The Sol Republic Relays Sport are an updated version of original Relays, a popular pair of in-ears that, according to Sol Republic, mix the tight fit of an exercise headphone with the ostensibly superior sound of a “regular” one. In reality, they were just nice-sounding headphones that were also comfortable to wear. Fortunately, that’s nothing to complain about.

The difference here is that the Sport comes with inline controls — the model linked above has a one-button remote for Android phones, but a three-button option for Apple devices is also available — and retails for $30 less. It also adds the word “Sport” to its name.

Otherwise, the fit and sound of the two Relays are just about the same. That’s a good thing. The Sport’s light frame slips easily into your ears and stays secure throughout. It comes with four sets of eartips, but if you misplace them, you can have Sol Republic replace them for free whenever you’d like. (You just have to register your purchase first.) Its cable doesn’t make much noise, either.

The Sport’s sound profile is one for bass lovers. It boosts the lows to the point where the bass becomes the driver of most songs where it’s present, but it does well to not overwhelm the rest of the mix. It’s a “V-shaped” signature in that it peaks in the high-end as well, but that usually stays clear and crisp. This is a fun, powerful profile, one that isn’t for purists, but manages to keep that rich (for the money) bass focus without trashing the balance of a given song.

BI Rating: 8/10

Here’s a specialty pick for anyone who works out at the pool. While we like all of our other picks, they’re more or less useless if you try to use them underwater for any extended period of time.

The Swimbuds Sport, however, are tailor-made for swimmers. They come with four different types of earbud designs that can either go around your ear or hang down like normal. Also included is a short cord — which you can, say, hook to a pair of goggles — alongside a normal length one.

It may take some time to find the right fit, but once you do, the totally waterproof Swimbuds do an exceptional job of keeping their seal, thus preventing your music from being tainted by the water. You’ll need a waterproof phone case (or waterproofed device in general) to actually use them, but such is the price of aquatic listening.

The plus side is that the Swimbuds do sound nice while you’re breaststroking away. That it even gets sound to you underwater is an achievement, but the clarity and balance here is commendable. As The Wirecutter notes, “Details on the high end are clear but not piercing, the mids are even with no muddy, blurred sound, and for $70, the Swimbuds Sport headphones sound better than some of the merely water-resistant headphones that cost upwards of $40 more.”

We agree. It doesn’t hold up as well outside of the pool, but it’s decent enough to get by. Regardless, whether you plan on putting in laps or just want to enjoy some music in the ocean, the Swimbuds are a good buy.

BI Rating: 8/10

Plantronics Backbeat Fit (Blue), $96.95, available at Amazon.Amazon

In many ways, the Plantronics Backbeat Fit are the most convenient pair of headphones on this list. For one, it’s wireless, so you don’t have to worry about accidentally tugging them off your head as you’re running or lifting. It gets around 7-8 hours of battery life per charge, which is solid.

Second, it’s built well. Its behind-the-neck build is small and light, but also sturdy and sweatproof. It’s easy to slip over your head and go, and it stays in place once it’s on. It also features a bunch of built-in controls for answering calls and adjusting your music, all of which are easy to use on the run once you get the feel for them. Since Plantronics is known for its traditional Bluetooth headsets, it probably isn’t surprising to hear that the Fit gets great call quality as well.

Third, it’s unsealed. That means that it purposefully allows in ambient noise, which is useful if you’re out for a jog or bike ride and want to be extra sure you aren’t about to be hit by a bus. (If you’re trying to block out that guy grunting to himself at the gym, though, look elsewhere.)

Usually, being an “open” headphone means skimping on sound quality, if only because it naturally makes the stage less intimate. The Backbeat Fit, however, does a good job of lessening that blow. It sacrifices a fair chunk of bass, but everything that is here is clean, balanced, and distortion-free. It’s a smooth listen, and most tracks that aren’t hip-hop or EDM come across well.

Beyond that, the Backbeat Fit comes loaded with its own armband case, which you can drop your smartphone into when you're on the go. All of this, and the whole thing still retails for less than $80. That’s a great price for something this accommodating.

Yes, the chief aim is still to deliver thunderous bass at every turn, but here that doesn’t completely throw off everything else. It isn’t close to being balanced — the mids get swallowed much of the time — but the crisp, peaked highs compliment those rich lows fairly well. It’s an exciting, relatively detailed sound that works for the use case Beats is aiming at: getting pumped up and ready to move.

It doesn’t hurt that the Powerbeats 2 is also well-made. It’s packed with four sets of eartips, it’s sweatproof (but not waterproof), and, at least to us, it looks rather stylish. Its around-the-ear hooks are flexible, and can create a snug fit without much trouble. It also comes with inline controls, though those work better with iOS devices.

Although they look like headphones you’d jam in your ears, the Powerbeats are actually built to rest gently outside of them, so you’re still able to hear ambient noises. That they’re able to produce so much bass, and that they manage to stay still as well as they do, is impressive given that design.

It means you’ll lose some sound in crowded places like the subway, but then again, don’t work out on the subway. The other downside here is battery life: At 6 hours, it could be better.

The Powerbeats 2 received mixed reviews when it first launched, but we think a few of those were colored by its original $200 price point. That’s way too high for such a specialized sound. But as CNET wrote in its review: “It's a very good Bluetooth headphone; it should just cost about $50 less.” Now it does. If you're a basshead, you’ll have fun here.

BI Rating: 9/10

Jaybird X2 (Black), $129.99, available at Amazon.Amazon

For the best sound from an exercise-oriented headphone that isn’t outrageously overpriced, go with the Jaybird X2.

The sequel to the popular BlueBuds X, theX2 shares many of the same tenets: It’s light, it’s comfortable, it’s sturdy, and you can wear it either around your ears or hanging down from them. It packs an overflow of eartips, fins, and cable clips to ensure you find the right fit. It gets a solid 8 hours of battery life, and it can be fully recharged in just 2 hours. It has inline controls. And not only is it sweatproof, but it also comes with a lifetime warranty for sweat-related damages: If you soak your pair to the point of oblivion, Jaybird will send you a new one.

Best of all, it sounds fantastic. It’s one of the few exercise headphones — and a Bluetooth one at that — that can hang with many “standard” in-ears in terms of overall quality. It brings full, robust bass alongside deep mids and solid, if a pinch harsh at the top, treble. It’s remarkably accurate and detailed for what it is, and it manages to sound lively without ever distorting. When you find the best fit, it also blocks out a ton of outside noise.

The main negative here is that finding that fit could take some effort. The X2 is a relatively large earphone, and there are so many options here that you’ll probably have to fiddle with a bunch of them to get the setup that’s right for you. Jaybird has a video tutorial to help get you on your way, at least, and the seal is good and tight once everything’s right.

The other thing is that, again, much of the above also applies to BlueBuds X. Jaybird’s officially discontinued those, but you can still find them on Amazon for less than the X2. We’d say those are the better value — though you might lose that warranty if you buy from a third party — but the X2 is the better product. If you invest, and you’re patient with the design, you won’t be disappointed.

Pros:

Accurate, high quality sound

Light, secure, and sturdy

Wonderful noise isolation

Cons:

Might require some effort to find a comfortable fit

BlueBuds X are a better value

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